Unfortunately, the excessive water usage typical of older toilets and the high water bills that come along with it also become a permanent fixture. Planning your bathroom remodel is a perfect time to think about replacing that old toilet with a newer model that is designed for efficiency and economy.

Toilet-flushing is the single most water-intensive activity in most homes, and accounts for over 30 percent of total household water consumption. Toilets made before the 1980s may use up to seven gallons of water per flush (GPF.) Many of these are still on the job and still wasting water. Later models from the 1990s cut GPF in half. Today, there are even more ways to conserve more water without sacrificing toilet performance.

Ultra Low-Flush (ULF) Toilets

These models comply with the current Federal maximum standard of 1.6 GPF. Ultra low-flush models began to be installed in new residential construction in 1994. If your home was built before then, you may have a pre-ULF toilet and could benefit substantially simply by upgrading to today’s standard.

High Efficiency Toilets (HET)

Using only 1.28 GPF, these toilets outperform the ULF models and all those that came before. HET savings add up with every flush. In a year, an average family can save as much as 13,000 gallons of water with an HET versus a ULF model. Today, there are more than a thousand high efficiency toilet models on the market, allowing you a variety to choose from when planning your bathroom remodel.

Dual Flush Models

Dual flush toilets feature a user-selectable flush volume control at the touch of a button. For liquid waste, the unit consumes only .8 gallons. Full flush volume is the standard maximum of 1.6 GPF.